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IPL 2019: BCCI mulls moving league to South Africa due to general elections

Vijay Tagore

It is not just the political parties that are waiting for the dates of the next year's general elections. Even the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is as curious about the announcement from the Election Commission.

| Mumbai Mirror | Updated: Sep 11, 2018, 13:02 IST

Highlights

Iif the tournament has to be fully moved out of India, South Africa is the preferred venue.

In the case of a partial shift, then UAE will come into picture.

England too is in the fray but it is least preferred because of the high cost involved.

Chennai Super Kings are the defending champions. (TOI Photo)

(This story originally appeared in on Sep 11 , 2018)

This story was originally published in Mumbai Mirror on 11/09/2018

It is not just the political parties that are waiting for the dates of the next year's general elections. Even the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is as curious about the announcement from the Election Commission.

It is now given that the IPL 12 will need a shift, like in the previous two general election years - to South Africa in 2009 and to UAE in 2014 - and the BCCI has started preparations for the 2019 edition. Plan A, B and C have been put in place by the Committee of Administrators (CoA) and the BCCI management headed by CEO Rahul Johri and IPL COO Hemang Amin.

Mirror understands that if the tournament has to be fully moved out of India, South Africa is the preferred venue. In the case of a partial shift, then UAE will come into picture. England too is in the fray but it is least preferred because of the high cost involved.

Given its proximity, the presence of large expat Indian population and cost effectiveness, the UAE is the ideal choice but the impression is its limited infrastructure is too small for the league. There are only three major grounds - in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi -- and that, at best, can accommodate only a part of the IPL and not entire the 60-match, eight-team league. South Africa, thus, will be preferred in case of a need to move the whole tournament.

Concerned stakeholders and potential future hosts (South Africa, Emirates and even England boards) have been sounded out informally. The franchises too have been explained about the options.

Johri and Amin did not respond to calls from this paper but a highly-placed authority confirmed to Mirror about the multiple plans. A couple of franchises have confided to this paper about being informally informed about the options. A CoA meeting is to take place here on Tuesday and progress on the options will be discussed. "It (the planning) is an ongoing process," said a source.

The Supreme Court appointed administrators may not be there at the time of the IPL 12 if all concerned followed the Lodha reforms timeline set by the apex court but a source told this paper that the CoA wanted things in place for the future dispensation.

Other challenges

Besides the election dates, the BCCI has a set of cricketing challenges as well. With the World Cup kicking off on May 30, around the time when the IPL ends every year, the BCCI planners wanted to advance the league dates but realized that there is only a little room for maneuver. In view of the approved FTP, the schedule can, at the most be, advanced by a week or so. Instead of the first week of April, when the league usually starts, the IPL 12 will begin in the last week of March.

But the exact dates of the league will be decided by the very man who will also decide the dates of the general elections -chief election commissioner Om Prakash Rawat.

Asia Cup players to leave for Dubai in two batches

The squad for the Asia Cup will depart for Dubai in two batches - one on September 13 and another on September 16. The BCCI has advanced the travel schedule of the 10 players, who are not currently playing in England. So, Rohit Sharma (captain), MS Dhoni, Ambati Rayudu, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Khaleel Ahmed will leave for Dubai on Thursday for the September 15-28 tournament. The remaining six -- Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik Jasprit Bumrah and Shardul Thakur - will leave on September 16, the original date of the team's departure.

Meanwhile, the CoA meeting today will deliberate on the infighting in the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA), which is reeling under a squabble between two groups. The Hyderabad High Court is expected to pronounce the verdict on the fight today but irrespective of the development in the court, the plan to hold the India-West Indies Test in the city from October 12 to 16 could remain unaltered. The CoA is apparently not favour of moving the Test and will take measures to ensure a smooth conduct of the Test.

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